Knowing what's actually safe to eat -- and what has quietly crossed a line -- is one of the more practical things a household can get right. Food poisoning in Australia sends around 4.1 million people to the doctor each year according to the Food Safety Information Council, and a large proportion of those cases come from food that looked, smelled, and tasted perfectly fine.
This guide pulls together storage times for the most common fridge foods, based on FSANZ, CSIRO, and the Australian Chicken Meat Federation guidelines. Everything assumes a fridge running at or below 4°C, which is the required condition for all of these storage estimates to hold. A fridge running warmer shortens every one of these windows.
At National Appliance Repairs, we carry out fridge repairs across Australia -- and a fridge that can't hold temperature safely is both a food safety risk and an appliance fault worth fixing promptly.
The Ground Rules
Before the tables, three things to keep in mind:
- Use-by dates come first: The times here are general guidelines for food that's been stored correctly. If the use-by date on a product falls earlier, that date wins. In Australia, use-by dates are safety dates, full stop -- not a judgment call about quality.
- Temperature matters more than anything else: Every storage time here assumes your fridge holds at or below 4°C consistently. At 7°C, safe storage times can drop by nearly half. Use an appliance thermometer to check -- the number on the dial tells you nothing about the actual temperature inside.
- When in doubt, throw it out: Salmonella, Listeria, Campylobacter, E. coli -- none of them leave a trace you can see or smell. Fresh-looking, fresh-smelling food can still make you sick.
Meat, Poultry, and Seafood (Raw)
| Food | Fridge (≤4°C) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh beef, lamb, pork (whole cuts) | 3--5 days | Unwrapped keeps slightly longer than wrapped (surface drying inhibits bacteria) |
| Fresh beef, lamb, pork (mince) | 1--2 days | Higher surface area; store coldest possible |
| Fresh chicken and turkey (pieces) | 2--3 days | Bottom shelf; sealed or on a tray |
| Fresh chicken mince | 1 day | Highest bacterial risk; use or freeze promptly |
| Fresh pork mince | 1--2 days | |
| Sausages (fresh, uncooked) | 2--3 days | |
| Fresh fish (whole or fillets) | 1--2 days | Most perishable protein; wrap well; bottom shelf |
| Fresh prawns and shellfish | 1--2 days | Use as fresh as possible |
| Smoked fish (opened) | 3--5 days | Refrigerate once opened |
Cooked Meat, Poultry, and Seafood
| Food | Fridge (≤4°C) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cooked chicken (all forms) | 2--3 days | 1 day for mince; 1 day for pregnant, elderly, or immunocompromised |
| Cooked beef, lamb, pork | 3--4 days | Whole cooked roasts last a little longer than sliced |
| Cooked sausages | 3--4 days | |
| Cooked fish | 2--3 days | Deteriorates in texture faster than meat |
| Cooked prawns | 2--3 days | |
| Deli meats (sliced from the counter) | 3--5 days | Buy small quantities; consume fresh |
| Deli meats (vacuum packed, unopened) | Until best-before date | Once opened: 3--5 days |
| Pâté | 2--3 days | High Listeria risk; refrigerate immediately; 1 day for vulnerable groups |
Dairy
| Food | Fridge (≤4°C) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh pasteurised milk (sealed) | Until use-by date (~12--14 days from processing) | |
| Fresh milk (opened) | 3--5 days | Move to back of fridge; not the door |
| UHT milk (opened) | 7 days refrigerated | Shelf-stable until opened |
| Hard cheese (cheddar, parmesan, gouda) | 3--4 weeks | Cut edge exposed to air; wrap tightly or use a sealed container |
| Soft cheese (brie, camembert) | 5--7 days after opening | Follow use-by date; high Listeria risk for vulnerable groups |
| Ricotta, cottage cheese, quark | 5--7 days after opening | |
| Yoghurt (opened) | 5--7 days | Check use-by date |
| Cream (fresh, opened) | 3--5 days | |
| Sour cream (opened) | 5--7 days | |
| Butter | 2--3 weeks | Store in sealed container to prevent odour absorption |
Eggs
| Food | Fridge (≤4°C) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Eggs in shell (commercial) | Until use-by date (~3--6 weeks from packing) | Store in original carton; middle shelf, not door |
| Hard-boiled eggs (in shell) | 1 week | |
| Hard-boiled eggs (peeled) | 5 days | Store in water in a covered container |
| Raw whites or yolks | 2--4 days | Covered container; cover yolks with water |
Leftovers and Prepared Foods
| Food | Fridge (≤4°C) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| General cooked leftovers (soups, stews, casseroles) | 2--3 days | Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking |
| Cooked rice | 1 day | Bacillus cereus risk; refrigerate immediately; do not reheat more than once |
| Cooked pasta | 3--5 days | Without sauce; with sauce, treat as the shortest-lived component |
| Cooked potatoes | 3--5 days | |
| Pizza (cooked) | 3--4 days | |
| Sandwiches with meat or egg fillings | 1 day | Perishable fillings limit shelf life |
| Opened canned food | 2--3 days | Transfer to a sealed container; do not store in the tin |
Fruit and Vegetables
| Food | Fridge (≤4°C) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Leafy greens (lettuce, spinach) | 3--7 days | Wash and dry before refrigerating; store in a container or bag |
| Broccoli, cauliflower, green beans | 3--5 days | |
| Capsicum, cucumber, zucchini | 5--7 days | |
| Carrots, celery | 2--3 weeks | |
| Berries | 2--5 days | Do not wash until ready to eat |
| Stone fruit (open, cut) | 3--5 days | Store whole stone fruit at room temperature until ripe |
| Grapes | 5--7 days | |
| Cut melon | 3--5 days | Seal tightly; bacteria from the rind can contaminate cut flesh |
Note: Tomatoes, bananas, potatoes, onions, garlic, and whole avocados (uncut) are generally best stored at room temperature, not in the fridge. Cold temperatures alter their texture, flavour, and in the case of potatoes, can cause sugars to develop that are problematic when the potato is cooked at high heat.
Condiments and Sauces
| Food | Fridge (≤4°C) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato sauce / ketchup (opened) | 6 months | |
| Mustard (opened) | 12 months | |
| Soy sauce (opened) | 12--18 months | |
| Mayonnaise (commercial, opened) | 2--3 months | |
| Homemade mayonnaise | 1--2 days | Contains raw egg; short shelf life |
| Salad dressings (cream-based) | 1--2 months | |
| Jam and preserves (opened) | 3 months | Check for mould before use |
| Pesto (opened) | 5--7 days | Oil can slow spoilage but won't prevent it |
The Role of Fridge Temperature in All of This
Every figure in this guide assumes a fridge at or below 4°C. Research from the Journal of Food Engineering found that, globally, most home fridges had average temperatures above 5°C -- the bacterial danger zone threshold. There’s a chance that, all this time, your fridge has been running hotter than it should, which can be a dangerous position to be in.
An appliance thermometer placed in a glass of water on the middle shelf, checked after eight hours with the door closed, will tell you the real temperature your food is experiencing. The fridge dial is not a thermometer; the only way to know is to measure.
FAQ
How do I know if leftovers are still safe to eat after 3 days?
Sealed, at or below 4°C, eaten within 2-3 days -- you're most likely fine. After that the risk climbs, and there's no way to tell by looking. The Food Safety Information Council’s guideline is conservative for good reason: the bacteria behind food-borne illness don't show up on the surface.
Why is cooked rice only safe for one day in the fridge?
Rice carries a bacterium called Bacillus cereus that forms spores tough enough to survive cooking. Let it cool slowly or sit warm and those spores produce a toxin that reheating won't touch. Get it in the fridge right after cooking and eat it within the day.
Should I store food in the original packaging or transfer it to containers?
Sealed containers. Most original packaging doesn't close properly once opened -- air gets in, moisture gets in, and nearby bacteria can too. It also keeps strong-smelling food from taking over the whole shelf.
Is it safe to put hot food directly into the fridge?
Yes. Modern fridges can take it, and Australian food safety guidance says sooner is better -- don't leave it sitting on the bench. It will raise the temperature around it, so divide into shallow containers and keep large portions away from other perishables while they cool down.
What's the safest way to organise a fridge?
Top shelf: cooked and ready-to-eat food. Middle: dairy. Bottom: raw meat and poultry, sealed or on a tray to catch drips. Eggs in their carton on a middle shelf, not the door. Condiments and drinks in the door -- warmest part of the fridge, so nothing that needs to stay cold.
Conclusion
The most common reason food doesn't reach its expected safe storage time isn't storage duration -- it's fridge temperature. A fridge running at 4°C and one running at 7°C produce meaningfully different outcomes for the same food in the same time period. Getting the temperature right, using sealed containers, and keeping raw meat below cooked food are the three habits that do the most work.
If your fridge is struggling to hold temperature, we at National Appliance Repairs can diagnose and repair the fault quickly across Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth. Call 1300 434 380 for same-day service.
